In a fallen kingdom, one girl carries the key to discovering the secrets of her nation's past—and unleashing the demons that sleep at its heart. An epic fantasy series inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China. “Brims with pure magic. Zhao has woven together a story of self-discovery, slow-burning romance, and heart-pounding revelations.” —Rebecca Ross, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divine Rivals “A magical tale set in a glittering, dangerous world featuring a dynamic heroine and an enigmatic hero.” —Isabel Ibañez, #1 New York Times bsetselling author of What The River Knows Lan spends her nights as a songgirl in Haak’gong, a city transformed by the Elantian colonizers. Her days are consumed by the search for knowledge about the strange mark—an untranslatable Hin character—burned into her arm by her mother in her last act before she died. Zen is a practitioner—one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom. He’s never seen anything like Lan’s mark, but he knows that if there are answers, they lie deep in the pine forests and misty mountains of the Last Kingdom, with an order of practitioning masters planning to overthrow the Elantian regime. Yet, both Lan and Zen are hiding secrets—secrets that are buried deep within them. Secrets that even they have still to unearth. Both hold the power to liberate their land, if they don't destroy it first. Now the battle for the Last Kingdom begins. Inspired by ancient Chinese mythology and folklore, Song of Silver, Flame Like Night transports readers to a lush fantasy world filled with high-stakes adventure, glittering magic, and against-all-odds romance from beginning to end. “Devastatingly gorgeous.” —Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights “ The perfect book for fans of the Chinese xianxia fantasy genre.” — The Nerd Daily “ A rich fantasy world of high stakes and adventure.”— BuzzFeed “A lush, magical tale.” —Paste ★ “Lush worldbuilding and gorgeous visuals." — Publishers Weekly , starred review "A complex and fantastic introduction to an epic new world." — Kirkus Reviews "A well-rounded and interesting fantasy." — Booklist “A thrilling and wonderful first start into the many possibilities of the myths and legends of ancient China.”— Asia Pacific Arts “An epic, masterfully rendered tale of reckoning and heritage that draws its readers into a world as rich as it is nuanced, and as intriguing as it is magical.” —Ayana Gray, New York Times bestselling author of Beasts of Prey “Prepare to stay up all night!” —Sara Raasch, New York Times bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes series “Gorgeous, evocative, and thrilling. I absolutely loved it.” — Katherine Webber, author of Twin Crowns   “Brims with pure magic. Zhao has woven together a story of self-discovery, slow-burning romance, and heart-pounding revelations.” —Rebecca Ross, internationally bestselling author of A River Enchanted   “A captivating epic fantasy... I can’t wait for the sequel!”— Sue Lynn Tan, bestselling author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess ”A haunting tale steeped in myth and legend. This is a story that will captivate and spellbind readers until the very end.”—Francesca Flores, author of Diamond City “A magical tale set in a glittering, dangerous world featuring a dynamic heroine and an enigmatic hero.” —Isabel Ibañez, author of Together We Burn Amélie Wen Zhao was born in Paris and grew up in Beijing, where she spent her days reenacting tales of legendary heroes, ancient kingdoms, and lost magic at her grandmother’s courtyard house. She attended college in the United States and now resides in New York City, working as a finance professional by day and fantasy author by night. In her spare time, she loves to travel and spend time with her family in China, where she’s determined to walk the rivers and lakes of old just like the practitioners in her novels do. Amélie is the author of the Blood Heir trilogy— Blood Heir , Red Tigress , and Crimson Reign —as well as Song of Silver, Flame Like Night . 1 Power is always borrowed, never created. -- Dào’zǐ, Book of the Way (Classic of Virtues), 1.1 Elantian Age, Cycle 12 The Black Port, Haak’gong The Last Kingdom had been brought to its knees, but the view was mighty fine from here. Lan tipped her bamboo hat over her head, parting her lips in pleasure as the cool evening breeze combed through strands of her silky black hair. Sweat slicked her neck from the afternoon’s work of hawking wares at the local evemarket, and her back ached with the beating she’d received from Madam Meng for stealing sugarplum candies from the kitchens at the Teahouse. But in rare moments like this, when the sun hung ripe and swollen as a mandarin over the glittering sea, there was still a shattered-glass beauty to be found in the remnants of a conquered land. The city of Haak’gong unfurled before her in a patchwork of contradictions. Red lan